Fox Sets Dating Series From Mark Burnett

Fox has ordered a new unscripted dating series from the producer, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

The untitled project features single men and women who, after face-to-face meetings, must pick a mate based solely on instant chemistry. However, the real question is whether that chemistry will be enough to make these couples go the distance.

The series is set in the Caribbean Islands and has been picked up for 10 episodes. The project will debut later this year.

“I am so happy to be making my first dating series with Fox,” Burnett said Thursday in a statement. “It’s a genre that attracts a wide audience and our series gives a very fresh perspective that mirrors real life.”

This marks Burnett's first dating reality project, as well as his first series at MGM Television, which recently tapped him as its head of television. MGM will co-produce with Grandma’s House Entertainment. The series was created and will be executive produced by Burnett, Ben Newmark, Dan Newmark and Larry Barron. MGM will also serve as its worldwide distributor outside of the U.S. and Canada.

In addition to such long-running reality series as Survivor and The Voice, Burnett recently produced the revival of Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? for Fox.

This latest effort marks a return to the dating format for Fox, which found success more than a decade ago with similar unscripted series Joe Millionaire and Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire? More recently, ABC has found continued success with The Bachelor, which has been on the air since 2002 and has spawned several spinoffs as well as a live aftershow.

Fox has been beefing up its unscripted slate in the last several months as the network prepares to say farewell to veteran reality competition American Idol this spring.